Fragility
by Barabista
Summary: 'And then, just like that, I snapped. That thread of sanity I had clung onto so desperately snapped. Many managed to wound me, but I was too far gone to feel it. In this way, insanity is a good attribute.' An extract of my new story, C.a.U.T.i.o.N.


**||.Fragility.||**  
><strong>||AN||:** Another snippet? Whatever am I doing?  
>Usual disclaimer, Hunger Games isn't mine, plot of this and Everest, Thaile and other characters are mine.<br>**Rated M for a reason**. There is a lot of blood in this. And violence. But mainly, I rated it M because of the nature of the text, the insanity, the sort of instability. So,.. Enjoy?

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I still swear there was silence as Thaile's body dropped, liquid spattering in bloodied pools around him. My body moved in slow-motion, my mind couldn't comprehend what had happened. And then, just like that, I snapped.  
>The thread of sanity I had clung onto so desperately snapped, and I descended into a mad wave of agony and bloodlust, a broken scream resounding over the beach and lake, echoing from my mouth.<p>

I ran quickly, my feet skimming over the top of the corpses and half-dead bodies with speed I never knew I possessed. With a sort of shriek, I had placed my arrow against my bow string, and sent it flying with a howling slice into the chest of the girl. It drove itself deep into the hollows of her body, so much so I believe it may have surfaced through the other side, and blood spurted from her mouth, spilling down her fallen body.  
>I had already moved on, taking down eight more with my white fletched arrows. One Career came at me with a longsword, managing to strike me pretty deep in the shoulder, but I was too far gone to feel any pain. Drawing one of my hunting knives from my archers glove, I took no time in slashing it across his throat, laughing shrilly as the blood spattered my face. Another few came at me, many managing to wound me, but with my seemingly non-existent pain threshold, I just kept slashing and striking and stabbing until only the Gamekeepers remained. Their huge mutts growled at me, daring me to come at them, the last barrier between me and the slowly dying Thaile. I didn't have my normal advantage here as I did in the forest, there were no trees to use as a height advantage, no leverages to allow me an angled attack. But I didn't care.<br>I lunged forward a metre, and the mutts sprung forward. Quick as I possibly could, I flicked my body backwards, landing on one knee in the stained, damp sand. My hand grazed the surface, and the small grains flew at the eyes of the creatures. I lunged back once again, my hand grasping the familiar spear, and stood upright.

Getting any sort of leverage here was a crazy idea. It took a lot of training to be able to get a height from a solid ground, never mind something as moveable and erratic as sand. In this way, I suppose _insanity_ is a good attribute.

Both the Gamekeepers and their mutts attacked now, and it wasn't long before I was on the floor, the monsters teeth at my throat, laughing like a maniac because of the broken arrow I'd just driven through it's heart. With a snatch, the spear was back, and bodies fell like raindrops in a flood. Three left. Two. One. After the last mutt, the Gamekeepers backed off, some running, some backing away, never breaking the terrified eye contact.

I spat out, salt and rust swirling with the bitter taste of the sea air. It was red. Another laugh. Everything was red. Red. **Red.** **Like blood. **  
>My howls of shrieking laughter rang in hideous peals across the still blue waters, and I looked down at my hands, at my clothes, at my reflection in the glassy crimson pools before me. <em>They were red too.<em>

**It was just like last time.**

A bloody cough woke me from my wavering whimpers, and I immediately ran to his side. To Thaile's side.  
>He was covered in blood too. His handsome face was covered in cuts and bruises, his left arm marred by a series of deep slashes. His legs seemed alright, and his stomach wasn't injured. But his <em>chest<em>. His chest looked like someone had attempted to rip his heart out. There was a gaping wound, filling with more scarlet liquid, and I reacted as quickly as I possibly could. Stripping my shirt from my body, I pushed down on the wound, applying as much force as I could without shattering a rib. I could feel the heat seep between my fingers, and the erratic beating of his heart push against my quivering hands. I couldn't lose him.** I'd lost everyone**. My family. My brother. My sisters. My mother. My father. I'd lost my friends. Cale. Hawk. Spirit. Hazel. Arriadne. Freya. I'd lost my fiancé, the only person who I'd ever truly loved, Aiidan. Fuck, I'd even lost Vine, the sweet innocent little kid who should never had anything to do with these fucking mind games. I'd lost my _sanity_. My _human_ emotions.

I was not about to fucking lose him.

Hot, searing tears raced down my cheeks, burning into the cuts on my face. "D-Don't leave me." I can't bring my voice to more than a shaky whisper, even though I want to shout it so loud it makes the waves start. "Don't leave me.". It's stronger this time, and my broken heart soars when Thay's aqua marine eyes half blink at me, his hand twitching around mine.  
>"I-I won't... Everes-st." It's quiet. It's broken. It's not even a whisper, just breaths of air and a slight judder of lips. A sob breaks from between my lips, and I stand, facing the camera I hope is still running.<br>"**IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT?**" I scream, hoping that everyone can see it. "I**S IT? IS YOUR GOAL TO DRIVE US TO INSANITY, TO MAKE US INTO KILLERS? YOU'VE KILLED INNOCENT PEOPLE! YOU'VE MADE US INTO ANIMALS!**" I'm still screaming, but my voice is cracking. I pick up my bow and quiver, drawing from it a white fletched arrow. Only it's not white anymore, it's red. It's scarlet red, dripping off the feather and into the pale gold sand. I release the drawstring, and there is a crackle as the camera is penetrated by the arrow.

I'm not strong, but again, my mental state was allowing me to do things I had never though physically possible. I sprinted back to Thaile, and, gently as I could, lifted him up and carried him back to the woods.  
>I only noticed on the way back to gather the weapons and supplies, the corpses, and all the blood. And the trail that led from where I had carried Thaile back to the forest. The sky is still a lovely shade of minty blue, <em>and it's ever so lovely.<em> •|•|•|•|•|•|• I've got to admit, I absolutely love Everest as a character. i love that sort of instability. It makes her so much more interesting to write. Even if it is a little... scary. This will be part of the story, eventually. I'm just getting myself all geared up to do it, writing out some scenes that I don't want to forget.

Speaking of forgetting, could you feed the comments box? He needs food ever so much!  
><strong><br>Sang-Sur Chan  
>Xx<strong> 


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